Iced Tea | 20something cupcakes

More and more, people are becoming concerned about what they put in their bodies.

{It’s about time}

So, when Lipton reached out to me and asked me to try some of their new 100% natural line of iced teas and then review them online, I was in.

You may be aware that this is my first time doing a compensated review on this blog. Allow me to say – that first of all, I would never give a positive review on a product unless I meant it, regardless of whether or not I’m being paid to say it. Thus, I would never agree to do something like this unless I was fairly certain that I would have good things to say.

Lucky for Lipton, that was the outcome. These new iced teas taste great, and I’m proud to be part of a campaign for a company that cares about their consumers and our needs.

I love that they’re offering both diet versions with no calories as well as regular iced teas that are still low in calories (50-70 per serving). I’d have to say my favorite regular flavor is the Iced Tea with Blueberry Pomegranate, and my favorite diet flavor is the Diet Green Tea with Watermelon. Delish.

I was also excited to receive a ton of cocktail recipes to try with the new iced teas. Because I’m loving the watermelon flavor the most (and because it’s diet), I’ll share Lipton’s suggestion for serving here. Perfect for summer cocktailing!

Watermelon-Lime Mint Punch

2 sprigs fresh mint
2 bottles Lipton 100% Natural Diet Green Tea with Watermelon
1/4 cup lime juice
3/4 cup light rum
Watermelon balls, for garnish

Thoroughly crush mint with wooden spoon on side of pitcher. Stir in green tea, lime juice, and rum. Let stand 30 minutes. Remove mint. Chill until ready to serve. Serve in ice-filled glasses and garnish, if desired, with additional mint and watermelon balls. Makes 5 servings.

To learn more about Lipton’s new natural iced teas, check out their Facebook page.

{I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Gen-Yknot on behalf of Lipton and received Lipton product samples and a subscription to Pandora One to facilitate my candid review. Gen-Yknot also sent me a promotional item to thank me for my time}

I like my iced tea nice and strong.

And by strong, I mean lots of vodka.

Luckily, there are others out there who apparently agreed – and thus created Firefly Vodka Infused with American Tea.

If you’re new to this, you may be thinking of the Long Island variety the second you hear “vodka” and “tea” in the same sentence. But that is SO not what this stuff is. It tastes like a pure mixture of vodka and freshly-brewed sweet tea. I find it to be very sweet; you can mix it with water and it tastes just like sweet tea. I love to add water and fresh-squeezed lemon juice for a lower-calorie Arnold Palmer, but you can also definitely add some straight-up lemonade for the real deal. Another low-calorie option would be to add Crystal Light – anything from the lemonade flavor, to one of their flavored iced teas.

I love to serve it in a highball glass with lemon slices and mint sprigs. Doesn’t it look like the perfect summer cocktail?

I must warn you, though – this beverage can be very dangerous. It goes down oh-so-easy, and on a hot summer day, you may just forget about the heavy dose of vodka in your glass.

Are any of you fabulous babies out there as obsessed with this stuff as I am? And if you haven’t tried it yet, I’m thinking today’s the day – give National Iced Tea Day a run for its money!

*Image via Gourmet, courtesy of Stylee PR